Thermal interface material structures

ABSTRACT

In an example, a thermal interface material (TIM) structure is disclosed. The TIM structure includes a first thermal interface material layer comprising a gap filler material and a second thermal interface material layer comprising a solid thermal pad. The TIM structure has one or more overlapping regions associated with partial overlap of a surface of the gap filler material by the solid thermal pad such that a portion of the surface is exposed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of and claims priorityfrom U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/210,592, filed Dec. 5, 2018,which is a divisional application of and claims priority from U.S. Pat.No. 10,182,514, issued Jan. 15, 2019.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The field of the invention is thermal interface materials.

Description of Related Art

Examples of thermal interface materials include thermal greases, thermalpads, and thermal gels, among numerous other materials. Thermal greasesare inexpensive and provide good gap filling capability and high thermalconductivity on thin bond lines. However, short to long term greasepumping in service leads to interface voiding and thermal degradation atregions of high strain. Thermal pads provide excellent thermalconductivity, are very easy to use, and no stencil or dispense processesare required. However, thermal pads have limited compressibility and gapfilling capability through a range of loading conditions. Thermal gelsprovide good gap filling capability and high thermal conductivity onthin bond lines. Further, the pumping phenomenon inherent to thermalgreases is eliminated. However, drawbacks associated with thermal gelsinclude the requirement of plasma cleaning of surfaces, proper cureregimens, and proper materials storage and handling to minimizepotential in-service material adhesion loss and thermal degradation inhigh strain areas. Such tools and process controls are expensive.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a thermal interface material (TIM) structureis disclosed. The TIM structure includes a first thermal interfacematerial layer and a second thermal interface material layer. The secondthermal interface material layer at least partially overlaps the firstthermal interface material layer.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus includes an electroniccomponent, a heat transfer component, and a thermal interface materialstructure disposed between the electronic component and the heattransfer component. The thermal interface material structure includes afirst thermal interface material layer and a second thermal interfacematerial layer that at least partially overlaps the first thermalinterface material layer.

According to another embodiment, a process includes selectively applyinga gap filler material to a surface of a heat transfer component to forma first thermal interface material layer. The process also includesapplying a solid thermal pad to the first thermal interface materiallayer to form a second thermal interface material layer of a thermalinterface material structure. The thermal interface material structureincludes one or more overlapping regions associated with at leastpartial overlap of the first thermal interface material layer by thesecond thermal interface material layer.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescriptions of exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generallyrepresent like parts of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram depicting an example of a thermal interfacematerial structure that includes at least two thermal interface materiallayers with overlapping region(s), according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a diagram depicting an example comparison of TIM thermalperformance of the TIM structure of the present disclosure to other TIMconstructions.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example of a stencil design that isused to identify locations of different thermal interface materials in athermal interface structure based on locations of particular electroniccomponents, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a side view of an example of a thermal interface materialstructure that includes at least two thermal interface material layerswith overlapping region(s) applied to a heat sink base, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the example thermal interface materialstructure of FIG. 3A after application of the heat sink to a bare diemodule, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a first example of a thermal interface materialstructure that includes two thermal interface material layers withoverlapping region(s) prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a second example of a thermal interface materialstructure that includes two thermal interface material layers withoverlapping region(s) prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a third example of a thermal interface materialstructure that includes two thermal interface material layers withoverlapping region(s) prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a fourth example of a thermal interface materialstructure that includes two thermal interface material layers withoverlapping region(s) prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a particular embodiment of a process offorming a thermal interface material structure that includes at leasttwo thermal interface material layers with overlapping region(s) andapplying the thermal interface material structure to an electronicdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes thermal interface material (TIM)structures that utilize two (or more) compliant materials, with one ormore regions of overlap between the materials. In some cases, the TIMstructures of the present disclosure may be used in packagingapplications where highly variable and large physical gaps are presentbetween electronic device surfaces and heat spreading elements such asthose that may be present in direct die/heatsink/spreader hardwareelectronic packaging.

There may be several advantages associated with the TIM structures withoverlapping region(s) of the present disclosure. For example, the TIMstructures of the present disclosure may mitigate or eliminate greasepumping or gel delamination potential from thin bond line regions underhigh-power devices. As another example, the TIM structures of thepresent disclosure may eliminate expensive and complex processing (noplasma needed, no cure needed). Further, the TIM structures of thepresent disclosure may enable easy rework, may enable field replacementfor water-cooled systems (especially if gap filler pad used), mayeliminate stringent die surface cleanliness requirements, and mayprovide significant cost reduction via process simplification. Further,the gap filler material or the thermal pad of the TIM structures of thepresent disclosure may also provide damping to prevent device damage. Insome cases, the TIM structures of the present disclosure may be usedwith tertiary TIM solutions present on a common heat spreader or heatsink surface.

As an illustrative, non-limiting example, the thermal interface materialstructure of the present disclosure may be utilized for cooling of ahigh power (e.g., 300 W) graphics processing unit (GPU) card assemblypossessing a complex, large, lidless 2.5D or 3-D silicon on silicon(SOS) organic laminate package that utilizes a direct heatsink attachsolution. To illustrate, the SOS package may be a ball grid array (BGA)module (e.g., 55 mm) that possesses a large (e.g., 40 mm×29 mm) siliconinterposer attached with C4's that also C4 interconnect multiple stackedmemory silicon chip devices (HBM) and a large (e.g., 25+ mm×25+ mm) highpower GPU silicon chip device encapsulated into a brick for strainrelief and subsequent processing. Due to coefficient of thermalexpansion (CTE) mismatch between the module carrier and the residing SOSconstruction, this module package may develop a considerable “bow” afterbeing built. As such, the entire module package undergoes backsidegrinding of the potted SOS construction to provide a sufficiently flatdevice for subsequent card attachment. However, after soldering the BGAcarrier to a board as part of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)construction, considerable bow may return to the module/card assemblythat develops due to similar CTE mismatch between silicon and theorganic carriers in absence of substantial stiffening elements such asthe module lid.

Large, out-of-flat conditions (e.g., on the order of 150-250 microns) inthis packaging may be present and may create significant challenges forcreating stable, high performance, reliable thermal interfaceconstructions that can effectively make contact with the silicon devicesurfaces and corresponding heat spreading devices (which may also havesome lesser out-of-flat surface conditions). Such large, out-of-flatconditions may create large air gaps that must be filled with thermallyconductive interface material to ensure satisfactory heat extraction andefficient cooling. However, there are also regions of the interface thatmay develop extremely narrow thermal interface gaps, where theprotruding feature of a warped convex device mates with high points on amore reasonably flat heat spreader or heat sink surface.

As described above, several thermal interface material options areavailable, with each having certain limitations. Although thermal greasecan be coated on surfaces to fill large and variable gaps as a low costTIM solution, these materials tend to pump away from small gap areas dueto high strains that develop in the material coupled with materialdisplacement that results from shape change in hardware associated withpower cycling/aging. As a result, significant thermal degradation canarise over the life of the part from loss of TIM material at theinterface due to these pumping effects. In the case of the example GPUapplication described above, a high-power GPU device is the high spot inthe construction and forms a region of a very thin grease bond line ifgrease is used and is therefore most subject to grease pumping.Significant thermal performance loss is also observed in these materialsat thicker interface bond lines also, as incorporated high thermalconductivity particles present in the grease formulations do not comeinto intimate contact when the material is present within thickerinterface gaps.

Multiple soft thermal gap filler materials also exist in either pad ordispensable format, but these materials are typically low thermalperformance constructions that are unsuitable for cooling of a GPUdevice.

High performance TIM pads, such as graphite or graphite/siliconecomposite or soft patterned indium metal pads, also exist but havelimited compliance and cannot fill large gaps (e.g., up to 150-250microns). Some of these pads require exceedingly high loads to beeffective and are unsuitable for load restrictions placed on 2.5D/3D SOSor bare die 1D silicon packages to prevent device damage. However, thesematerials tend to possess more consistent thermal performance throughouttheir range of viable bond line/gap filling capabilities.

High performance dispensable silicone or other organic elastomermaterial gels can also fill a large range of gaps followed bypost-dispense curing to avoid pumping concerns associated with thermalgrease and are used in a wide array of high performance electronicmodule packages. However, these materials are fragile in shipping andvibration and are subject to interfacial tearing with thermal cyclingand require much processing overhead to ensure proper adhesionperformance is provided to avoid tearing and good thermal interfacestability/reliability. As such, implementation of these materials can bevery costly as they include the need for timely cure cycles and curingovens as well as a need to have a thoroughly clean device and heatspreader surfaces to ensure gel adhesion. This usually requires anintroduction of plasma processes and associated tooling which can addsignificant costs to implement within individual manufacturing sites.Gel materials also require special handling and handling usagespecifications as they must be kept frozen prior to use and will degradeif exposed to freeze/thaw cycles. These materials also suffer reducedthermal performance with thicker bond lines.

Dispensable or pad format phase change materials can also be good gapfilling options that limit pumping phenomena found in grease, but manyof these materials tend to react over time, with loss of phase changeconstituent and can fail for a variety of reasons. Phase changeconstituent can also leak from the interface with some materials sets.

Liquid metal thermal interface materials, such as Ga-based alloys, canoffer solutions for high performance, highly variable TIM gap fillingbut are costly and come with numerous risks including material leakageand detrimental metallurgical reactions with catastrophic componentfailures. As such, use of liquid metals as thermal interface materialoptions are typically avoided, and such materials are not consideredgenerally viable or practical TIM solutions.

The previously described thermal interface material options aretypically used as independent thermal interface solutions that provide acooling path between some component or plurality of components to aheatsink or plurality of heatsinks. There are numerous examples of thesetypes of constructions for virtually all available TIM materials sets.Further, such materials have also been used in combination with oneanother on a common assembly, but they are used independent of oneanother to cool specific components or a plurality of specificcomponents. For example, a processor or logic control applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC) device in a BGA package soldered to acard assembly may use a thermal grease as a thermal interface materialbetween the component and heatsink surface, while other components suchas memory modules assembled to the same board may use a gap filler TIMpad between these components and a heatsink surface. However, in eachcase, these materials are not used in overlapping combinations with eachother. In contrast, the thermal interface material structures of thepresent disclosure include layered and/or overlapping TIM materials thatcombine beneficial properties for technology performance optimizationand overall reliability enhancement.

The present disclosure describes a partially stacked, partiallyoverlapped thermal interface material packaging construction thatincludes two (or more) different thermal interface materials. Theconstruction includes a dispensed or stencil-screened printed thermalgrease, phase change, or gel material that is preferentially applied atlarge gap regions in the packaging construction coupled with anoverlying affixed high performance solid pad material (e.g., acompressible graphite pad, indium pad, or graphite/elastomeric compositepad) that is applied to regions where small bond line formation isdesirable. This interface construction is then “sandwiched” between acommon device surface and a heat spreader surface to improve performanceand reliability by addressing several of the shortcomings describedabove. For example, the TIM structure of the present disclosureaddresses problems associated with thin bond line grease pumping issuesassociated with single application grease solutions, thin bond line geladhesion problems associated with single application gel solutions, andthe limited gap filling capability of solid TIM pad solutions. Further,the TIM structure of the present disclosure provides improved thermalperformance across an overall device area possessing substantial bow(e.g., in excess of 150 microns) that is superior to use of individuallyapplied thermal solutions including the array of solid pad thermalinterface materials or singularly dispensed or stencil applied thermalinterface materials mentioned above.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a diagram 100 illustrates an example of a TIMstructure that includes at least two thermal interface material layerswith one or more overlapping regions, according to one embodiment. Inthe particular embodiment depicted in FIG. 1A, four regions of at leastpartial TIM material overlap are illustrated. However, it will beappreciated that an alternative number and/or arrangement of materialsmay be utilized that results in an alternative number and/or arrangementof areas of (at least partial) overlap.

FIG. 1A illustrates a bare die/heatsink TIM configuration that includesa heatsink base 102, a heatsink pedestal 104 (e.g., a Cu pedestal)disposed on the heatsink base 102, gap filler material 106 (e.g.,thermal grease/gel), and a thermal pad 108. The thermal pad 108partially overlies the gap filler 106 that is applied to the heatsinkpedestal 104 at one or more locations, resulting in one or moreoverlapping regions 110. In the illustrative example of FIG. 1A, the gapfiller 106 is applied at four locations on the heatsink pedestal 104,and the thermal pad 108 partially overlaps the gap filler 106 at fourlocations. In other cases, the gap filler 106 may be dispensed at analternative number of locations, resulting in an alternative number ofareas of overlap. Further, the degree of partial overlap depicted in theexample of FIG. 1A is for illustrative purposes only and may vary.Additionally, a degree of overlap at one location may be different froma degree of overlap at another location.

In some cases, as illustrated and further described herein with respectto FIG. 2, a stencil may be used to identify the regions on the heatsinkpedestal 104 where the gap filler 106 is to be applied. The stencildesign may vary based on the particular electronic componentconfiguration. To illustrate, in the case of a bare die SOS modulepackage/GPU card assembly with four HBM memory locations (as shown inthe example of FIG. 2), the four locations where the gap filler 106 isapplied in the example of FIG. 1A may be associated with the four HBMmemory locations. It will be appreciated that alternative methods foridentifying grease/gel dispensation location(s) may be used, and variousmethods may be utilized to apply the grease/gel to the identifiedlocation(s).

In a particular embodiment, the gap filler 106 may be a thermal grease(e.g., Shin Etsu X23-7868-2D) that is stencil printed onto the heatsinkpedestal 104 (or heat spreader in the case of water-cooled systems) atcorresponding HBM memory locations. Subsequent to stenciling of grease,a solid thermal pad 108 (e.g., a graphitic pad, such as Graftech HTC3200graphite) that is cut to proper dimensions may be placed onto theheatsink at the corresponding GPU device location and may be held inposition by partially overlapping the thermal pad 108 onto the stenciledgap filler 106 material to tack the thermal pad 108 in place (with theoverlap regions represented in FIG. 1A by the reference character 110).In this example, the pad material is cut to a size such that, whencentered on the device location, the thermal pad 108 comes in directcontact with approximately 50 percent of the stenciled gap fillermaterial 106. In other cases, a degree of overlap may be adjusted (e.g.,based on a degree of bow in the corresponding mating surfaces).

As illustrated and further described herein with respect to FIGS. 3A and3B, subsequent to application of the overlapping TIM materials onto theheatsink base 102, the heat sink assembly is then affixed onto theelectronic card assembly and put under a spring load in an assemblyfixture to apply pressure to form the TIM bond lines. This assembly isthen kept under pressure while spring loaded shoulder screws (e.g., 4screws for the assembly depicted in the example of FIG. 2) are thenactuated on the card/heatsink assembly to maintain a constant appliedpressure on the interface after removal of the assembly load tool.

Thus, FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a TIM structure that utilizestwo thermal interface materials that at least partially overlap. Byusing a solid TIM where gaps are small, pumping of grease or adhesionloss of gel where strains are high may be avoided, while large gapfilling using grease or other dispensable material is used at outerdevice locations where z-direction strains are less due to the presenceof thicker bond lines. As such, grease pumping or other performance lossmay be reduced. In the event that performance loss is realized on outerregions, more margin for variability exists over the lower powerdevices. By using a highly compressible, dispensable material at outerdevice locations, full compressibility of the solid pad is also realizedfor overall performance improvement and reliability.

Because both materials are low cost and overall very easy to process,the thermal interface solution of the present disclosure is also costeffective. Presence of grease or similar compliant or elastomericmaterial surrounding the device bond line perimeter can also providedamping capability (e.g., under shipping/vibration conditions).Furthermore, using the overlap between stenciled/dispensedgrease/gel/PCM material and the pad also provides tacking points to keepthe pad in place without alignment pins which add cost and consumecritical hardware real estate. Graphite pads are typically very lightand fragile and, if dislodged, can undergo damage. As such, such a safetacking and alignment method is beneficial.

Additionally, since thick bond lines associated with the use of gap fillmaterials typically suffer from poor thermal conductivity performance,the overlapping construction and contact with a high performance thermalpad that possesses good lateral heat spreading also provides an addedconduit for heat removal at thick gap filler bond line locations. Theoverall improved gap filling performance of such an overlappingmaterials stack coupled with enhanced lateral heat flow within the padmaterial results in enhanced thermal interface performance improvementand outperforms single TIM solutions that employ thermal grease orthermal pads alone.

This performance improvement is generically shown in FIG. 1B as measuredfor a GPU device and heat spreader assembly run at approximately 200 Wthat possessed hardware flatness conditions requiring approximately 200microns of gap filling capability for the thermal interface materialsolution. As shown in FIG. 1B, the total thermal resistance (C/W) of thestructured grease and pad construction of the present disclosure isreduced with respect to both a “Grease Only” construction as well as a“Pad Only” construction. In the particular example of FIG. 1B, the totalthermal resistance of the “Grease Only” construction is greater than0.26 C/W and the total thermal resistance of the “Pad Only” constructionis greater than 0.265 C/W, while the total thermal resistance of the“Structured Grease and Pad” construction of the present disclosure isless than 0.255 C/W. With respect to the data of FIG. 1B, the chart isfor total thermal resistance/performance. As such, the measurements arefor a GPU with affixed heat sink that was subsequently integrated into asystem with air moving devices present and set to specific speeds.Overall, the chart compares the same part as built and tested with thesame heat sink and same TIM1 GAP fill requirements using the threedifferent TIM1 configurations after being integrated into the samesystem position, and exercised under the same set of system runconditions and system external environmental conditions.

In addition, the partially overlapping construction of the two thermalinterface materials also provides redundant heat transfer paths throughthe combined thermal interface material sets to the device and heatspreading surfaces. The redundant thermal interface materials junctionsthat contact directly between the device and heat spreading surfacesthrough either the solid pad material, the stenciled or dispensedmaterial, or through both materials to the respective contact surfacescan offer reliability enhancement of the thermal interfaceconfiguration. These reliability enhancements may span more consistentthermal performance through time and improved mechanical robustness ofthe thermal interface as well. For example, the use of thermal grease orgel materials in contact with the solid TIM pad may help prevent damageto the solid pad by damping mechanical shock and vibration events thatmay occur during shipment or transportation of hardware assemblies.

As further described herein, the TIM construction of the presentdisclosure may be used in conjunction with a tertiary TIM gap fillingsolution applied to a spreader for cooling of other devices such as FETsor inductors which may have independent gap filling requirements. Forexample, in the case of a heat spreader for water-cooled systems, apad/grease combination may be used at corresponding GPU/HBM devicelocations on the spreader, while a dispensable thick gap filler TIMmaterial (e.g., T-Putty 506 or Chromerics T636) may be used atcorresponding FET and inductor locations.

Further, the attributes of the overlapping TIM construction of thepresent disclosure can be extended to a multiplicity of TIM materialscombinations. Examples include solid metal or composite pads, coupledwith stenciled or dispensed greases or gels, or combinations ofpartially overlapping, stacked pad materials possessing mutuallycompatible mechanical gap filling materials and thermal performanceattributes. In addition, gap filler materials can also be used atoutboard module corners to provide additional damping to ensure TIMinterface integrity during shock and vibration events that may ariseduring handling or product shipment. Further, the gap filling material(e.g., a thermal grease material) may also improve the contact integrityof gap(s) created in the pad material associated with suchshock/vibration events.

Referring to FIG. 2, a diagram 200 illustrates an example of a bare dieSOS module package/GPU card assembly, according to one embodiment. FIG.2 illustrates that, in some cases, location(s) where gap filler materialis to be applied to a heatsink/heat spreader may be determined based onlocation(s) of one or more underlying electronic components.

In the example of FIG. 2, the bare die SOS module package/GPU cardassembly includes multiple HBM memory devices locations adjacent to aGPU. In a particular embodiment, the assembly corresponds to amulti-chip SOS 2.5D or 3D SOS organic GPU/memory module package onboardassembly. The module may include a high power (e.g., 250 W to >270 W)GPU device surrounded by four lower power (e.g., about 8 W each) HBMstacked silicon memory devices that are affixed to a large siliconinterposer that is attached to an organic module chip carrier that isBGA soldered to a board assembly possessing arrays of SMY FETs andinductors. Such cards may be used in either air-cooled or water-cooledsystems where final assembly of the card includes a heat sink or heatspreader affixed to the bare die assembly with spring screws andoptional non-influencing fasteners (NIFs).

In FIG. 2, a GPU location of SOS bare die device is identified by thereference character 202, and four HBM memory devices are locatedadjacent to the GPU location 202. A location of a first HBM memorydevice is identified by the reference character 204, a location of asecond HBM memory device is identified by the reference character 206, alocation of a third HBM memory device is identified by the referencecharacter 208, and a location of a fourth HBM memory device isidentified by the reference character 210. In the particular embodiment,the assembly further includes multiple inductors identified by thereference character 212 as well as multiple field effect transistors(FETs) identified by the reference character 214.

FIG. 2 illustrates that a stencil design 220 for application of gapfiller material to a heatsink/heat spreader mating surface may be basedon the associated positions of particular electronic components of theunderlying assembly. In FIG. 2, the stencil design 220 is depicted abovethe bare die SOS module package/GPU card assembly in order to illustratethe associated positions of the underlying components on the assembly.In the example of FIG. 2, the stencil design 220 includes a first gapfiller application location 222, a second gap filler applicationlocation 224, a third gap filler application location 226, and a fourthgap filler application location 228. The first gap filler applicationlocation 222 corresponds to the first HBM memory device location 204,the second gap filler application location 224 corresponds to the secondHBM memory device location 206, the third gap filler applicationlocation 226 corresponds to the third HBM memory device location 208,and the fourth gap filler application location 228 corresponds to thefourth HBM memory device location 210.

In a particular embodiment, the stencil design 220 of FIG. 2 may beutilized to identify the locations where gap filler material is to beapplied to a surface of a heatsink/heat spreader. To illustrate,referring to FIG. 1A, the stencil design 220 of FIG. 2 may be utilizedto identify locations on a surface of the heatsink pedestal 104 wherethe gap filler 106 is to be applied. Specifically, the four gap fillerapplication locations 222-228 of the stencil design 220 may correspondto the four areas depicted in FIG. 1A where the gap filler 106 isapplied on the heatsink pedestal 104. After application of the gapfiller 106 using the stencil design 220, the thermal pad 108 may beapplied and may be held in place by the gap filler 106 at the fouroverlapping regions 110. As illustrated and further described hereinwith respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B, after application of the gap filler 106and the thermal pad 108, the heat sink assembly may be joined to anelectronic component assembly (e.g., the assembly depicted in FIG. 2),resulting in compression of the thermal pad 108 and the gap filler 106filling the gaps that result from the “bow” in an underlying component.

While not shown in the example of FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that astencil design may be utilized to identify various locations of anelectronic component assembly where one or more thermal interfacematerials are to be located. To illustrate, an air-cooled heat sink or awater-cooled heat spreader may have various surfaces that are designedto “mate” with particular components on an underlying electronicassembly. For example, in some cases, gap filler material may bedesirable at location(s) associated with the inductors 212 and/orlocation(s) associated with the FETs 214. As another example, asillustrated and further described herein with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7,gap filler material (e.g., soft gap fill pads) may be desirable atmodule corners (e.g., for additional damping in shipping and vibration).

Thus, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a stencil design that is used toidentify locations of different thermal interface materials in a thermalinterface structure based on locations of particular electroniccomponents.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example of an assembly process 300 thatincludes forming a TIM structure on a heat dispersing surface (e.g., aheat sink base) and subsequent assembly to a bare die module, accordingto one embodiment. FIG. 3A is a side view of an example of a thermalinterface material structure that includes at least two thermalinterface material layers with overlapping region(s) applied to a heatsink base. In a particular embodiment, the assembly depicted in FIG. 3Acorresponds to a side view of the TIM structure depicted in FIG. 1A.FIG. 3B is a side view of the example thermal interface materialstructure of FIG. 3A after application of the heat sink to a bare diemodule.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example of the “bow” associated with an exampleSOS device surface (designated as “bare die module” 302 in FIG. 3B).Specifically, a convex device profile may exist with flatness variationspanning across component HBM/GPU device areas. In some cases, theflatness variation may be 250 microns or more, with the apex of theconvex, out-of-flat condition residing at the center of the GPU chip.While not shown in the example of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the heatsink pedestalmay also have an out-of-flat surface profile to be taken into accountfor proper thermal interface gap filling. Although heat sink surfacesare typically made to a flatness of 25-50 microns, some heat spreadersmay have a flatness that can range up to 100 microns. As such, a highperformance, reliable thermal interface material construction may haveto fill cumulative interface gaps potentially in excess of 300 micronsas created by the shapes and mutual flatness profiles of module andheatsink hardware.

To create a high performance, cost effective, reliable thermal interfacein complex bare die constructions (e.g., the assembly depicted in FIG.2), a high performance compressible solid graphite pad (or equivalentcomposite material, phase change material, or metal pad) may be used tofacilitate heat removal over the GPU. However, since the gap fillingcapability of high performance, high thermal conductivity pads istypically limited to a range of about 25 microns (or less) to about125-150 microns, a dispensable or stencil-printed TIM material such asgrease may be applied over the lower power memory regions that possesslarger gaps to fill. A portion of the pad (or all of the pad) may be incontact with the dispensed TIM when assembled in order to provideconnected thermal interface paths between the two materials. As furtherdescribed herein, FIG. 1 depicts an example of such a partiallyoverlapped/stacked TIM materials interface configuration.

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate various examples of thermal interface materialstructures. It will be appreciated that the example TIM configurationsin FIGS. 4-7 are for illustrative purposes only and that numerousalternative TIM configurations are possible and may vary for aparticular heat transfer application. Further, while FIGS. 4-7 depicttwo-dimensional top views of example TIM structures with overlappingregion(s), it will be appreciated that a three-dimensional arrangementof particular materials at particular areas may vary.

FIG. 4 is a top view 400 of a first example of a thermal interfacematerial structure that includes two thermal interface material layerswith overlapping regions prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components. In the example of FIG. 4, afirst TIM configuration 402 (identified as “TIM Configuration(1)”)includes a solid pad and grease/gel at memory sites (similar to the TIMstructure depicted in the example of FIG. 1).

FIG. 5 is a top view 500 of a second example of a thermal interfacematerial structure that includes two thermal interface material layerswith overlapping regions prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components. In the example of FIG. 5, asecond TIM configuration 502 (identified as “TIM Configuration(2)”)includes a solid pad and soft gap fill pads at memory sites.

FIG. 6 is a top view 600 of a third example of a thermal interfacematerial structure that includes two thermal interface material layerswith overlapping regions prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components. In the example of FIG. 6, athird TIM configuration 602 (identified as “TIM Configuration(3)”)includes a solid pad and grease/gel at memory sites as well as gap filldispense or soft gap fill pads at module corners for additional dampingin shipping and vibration.

FIG. 7 is a top view 700 of a fourth example of a thermal interfacematerial structure that includes two thermal interface material layerswith overlapping regions prior to application of the thermal interfacematerial structure to electronic components. In the example of FIG. 7, afourth TIM configuration 702 (identified as “TIM Configuration(4)”)includes a solid pad and soft gap fill pads at memory sites as well asgap fill dispense or soft gap fill pads at module corners for additionaldamping in shipping and vibration.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow diagram illustrates an example of a process800 of forming a thermal interface material structure that includes atleast two thermal interface material layers with overlapping region(s)and applying the thermal interface material structure to an electronicdevice, according to one embodiment. In the particular embodimentdepicted in FIG. 8, the process 800 includes the application of twothermal interface material layers. In other embodiments, more than twothermal interface material layers may be utilized.

The process 800 includes selectively applying a gap filler material to asurface of a heat transfer component to form a first thermal interfacelayer, at 802. For example, referring to FIG. 1A, the gap filler 106material may be applied to the heatsink pedestal 104. In theillustrative example of FIG. 1, the gap filler 106 material is appliedat four locations. As illustrated and further described herein withrespect to FIG. 2, the location(s) where the gap filler 106 material isto be applied may be determined based on the location(s) ofcorresponding mating surfaces. In the particular embodiment depicted inFIG. 2, the stencil design 220 identifies the four gap fillerapplication locations 222-228 that correspond to the underlying HBMmemory device locations 204-210. As described further herein, the heattransfer component where the gap filler material is applied may be aheatsink (e.g., for air-cooled systems) or a heat spreader (e.g., forwater-cooled systems).

The process 800 includes applying a thermal pad to the first thermalinterface layer to form a second thermal interface layer of a TIMstructure having overlapping region(s) associated with at least partialoverlap of the first TIM layer by the second TIM layer, at 804. Forexample, referring to FIG. 1A, the thermal pad 108 may be applied to thegap filler 106 material, resulting in the TIM structure with the fouroverlapping regions 110. In the illustrative example of FIG. 1A, thethermal pad 108 partially overlaps the gap filler 106 material (e.g.,about 50 percent of the gap filler 106 surface area). It will beappreciated that this is for illustrative purposes only and that adegree of overlap may vary and, in some cases, may be determined basedon the associated out-of-flat mating surfaces to be joined. As describedfurther herein with respect to FIG. 2, the location where the thermalpad 108 is to be applied may be associated with a location of anotherunderlying component of an electronic assembly (e.g., a location of aGPU).

The process 800 includes applying the heat transfer component with theTIM structure to an electronic component assembly, at 806. For example,referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, after application of the TIM structure(e.g., to the heat sink base 102 in the example of an air-cooled heatsink), the TIM structure may be applied to the bare die module 302.Application of pressure may result in the compression of the thermal pad108 and the gap filler 106 material spreading to fill the larger gaps atthe sides of the bare die module 302 that are associated with the “bow”of the bare die module 302.

Thus, FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a process of forming a thermalinterface material structure that includes at least two thermalinterface material layers with overlapping region(s) and applying thethermal interface material structure to an electronic device. Theoverlapping region(s) may not represent “set” regions, and the gapfiller material (e.g., a thermal grease material) may flow into gapsthat are potentially left by the thermal pad material. The gap fillermaterial may flow in/out depending on module warp and shock events.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that modificationsand changes may be made in various embodiments of the present inventionwithout departing from its true spirit. The descriptions in thisspecification are for purposes of illustration only and are not to beconstrued in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention islimited only by the language of the following claims.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A thermal interface material (TIM) structurecomprising: a first thermal interface material layer comprising a gapfiller material; and a second thermal interface material layercomprising a compressible solid thermal pad, wherein the TIM structurehas one or more overlapping regions associated with partial overlap of asurface of the gap filler material by the solid thermal pad such that aportion of the surface is exposed.
 22. The TIM structure of claim 21,wherein the gap filler material includes a thermal grease material. 23.The TIM structure of claim 21, wherein the gap filler material includesa thermal gel material.
 24. The TIM structure of claim 21, wherein thesolid thermal pad includes a graphitic pad.
 25. An apparatus comprising:an electronic component; a heat transfer component; and a thermalinterface material (TIM) structure disposed between the electroniccomponent and the heat transfer component, the TIM structure including:a first thermal interface material layer comprising a gap fillermaterial; and a second thermal interface material layer comprising acompressible solid thermal pad, wherein the TIM structure has one ormore overlapping regions associated with partial overlap of a surface ofthe gap filler material by the solid thermal pad such that a portion ofthe surface is exposed.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein theelectronic component includes a bare die module.
 27. The apparatus ofclaim 25, wherein: the electronic component has a variable flatnessprofile; and the solid thermal pad partially overlaps the surface of thegap filler material at one or more overlapping regions identified basedon the variable flatness profile.
 28. The apparatus of claim 27, whereinthe gap filler material has a thickness that is sufficient to fill gapsbetween the electronic component and the heat transfer component, thegaps associated with the variable flatness profile.
 29. The apparatus ofclaim 28, wherein the gap filler material includes a thermal greasematerial.
 30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the gap filler materialincludes a thermal gel material.
 31. The apparatus of claim 25, whereinthe solid thermal pad includes a graphitic pad.
 32. The apparatus ofclaim 25, wherein the electronic component is associated with anair-cooled computing system, and wherein the heat transfer componentincludes a heat sink.
 33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein theelectronic component is associated with a liquid-cooled computingsystem, and wherein the heat transfer component includes a heatspreader.